


Mommy and Daddy Relieving Tension

by theLilyBird



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 18:32:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6577789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theLilyBird/pseuds/theLilyBird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old One Shot from my dA days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mommy and Daddy Relieving Tension

**Author's Note:**

> If this seems very unlike my usual shit, that's because it's like three years old. Apologies if it sucks.

"Rylee, please, c'mon, we don't need to do this. We can forget all about it. I'm sorry. It was stupid. I was being stupid. I'm always stupid. You said it yourself. I'm a stupid bird. Please. Just--"  
  
She spun, shoved his breather helmet on his head and hit the pressure valves. "No, Garrus. You're not interested in explaining yourself, and all I want is an explanation. But since you won't give me one, this is the only option." She hit her own pressure valves and began to storm toward the elevator.  
  
"Mommy and Daddy are fighting again," Jack said, following them. "What'd Mommy do this time?" she asked.  
  
" _Daddy_ disobeyed direct orders and nearly got himself killed to protect Miranda and Shepard," Kasumi answered, coming out of her tactical cloak, following the growing group as they all walk to the elevator.  
  
Jacob hands Rylee her sniper rifle and sub-machine gun and double-backs to give Garrus his M-92 Mantis. "You're screwed," he muttered, melting into the now large group.  
  
Kelly joins them, whispering to Joker. She laughs. "We should get Mordin or Chakwas," she said. "It could get pretty messy down there."  
  
"Or just Gardner," Jack said with a laugh. "We all know this is going to end in sex."  
  
They all crammed into the elevator, Mordin slipping in at the last minute. "EDI called me. Said I might be needed."  
  
It was getting out of hand. He knew the moment him and Rylee stepped into the hangar Jack would begin taking bets. She'd sit on the console, the whole crew around her, watching them intently. It was a bad idea, and she was going to make money off of it.  
  
"I'm pretty sure this ends with someone getting another scar," Joker said, leaning against the wall beside Kelly.  
  
Kelly shakes her head. "Doubtful. Officer Vakarian wouldn't intentionally harm Shepard," she whispered, trying not to let Rylee hear.  
  
"He wasn't talking about the Commander," Jacob said informatively.  
  
The doors open and the rest of the crew had already gathered by the window overlooking the hangar. Someone must've tipped them off. Kelly, Joker, Mordin, Jacob, Kasumi, and Jack all get out, leaving Garrus with the Commander.  
  
As soon as the doors close Garrus looks at Rylee. "Please, Ry. We don't have to do this." He's seen her snipe. He taught her for Spirits sake. She was good, but he was a lot better. And she wasn't too good with CQC either. The two things he was known for.  
  
"Garrus T. Vakarian, quit being such a pussy. You may be a flawless sniper and amazing at Close Quarters Combat. But you're no biotic. I can handle myself. It's either this or you explain to me what the bloody fuck you were thinking. And I already know the answer," she snarled, not looking at him, gripping tightly on her sub-machine gun.

 _Swallow your fucking pride, Vakarian. Tell her you nearly got yourself killed to save her. Because you can't let yourself lose her. Because it would kill you. Because you l--_  
  
"Because I _like_ her," he corrected, his voice inaudible.  
  
Like. Like. Like. Like. Like. Just like.  
  
The doors opened and he sprinted across the room. He was about to get shot at by his Commanding Officer because she needed to release tension with him. Against him. He wasn't sure exactly what they were doing. Only that one of them was going to get hurt.  
  
He ducked behind a crate and readied a shot. She had just stepped out of the elevator and the doors closed behind her. _BAM!_ She flew into the door. He had to admit, it was funny.  
  
Obviously this was a concussive rounds only situation.  
  
She sprang to her feet and slid into the mess of crates on the far left of the hangar. "That was cheating, Garrus!" she shrieked, her voice echoing through the com in his ear.  
  
He only gave a chuckle, searching for her with the scope.  
  
Without warning a crate came into the air and flew toward his hiding place, missing by only a few feet. "Missed me!" he shouted.  
  
"Whoops," she said, and he could hear the smirk in her voice.  
  
_Shit_  
  
He threw himself against the floor. The crate he'd used as a hiding place came into the air and smashed down on top of him. Twice. He rolled out of the way before it hit him again. Fighting the pain that swallowed his body, he grabbed his gun and began to crawl away. "Spirits," he whispered.  
  
She laughed. Spirits she had a cute laugh. "Give up?"  
  
He clambered to his feet and ran for a cluster of smaller crates with big red circles painted on them. The hangar had recently been converted into a room for target practice. He slid behind them. "Never," he huffed. "But it'd good to know you're having fun."  
  
Another one of those joyful laughs he liked. "Something about throwing shit at you is releasing."  
  
"You know, on turian ships, we release tension by sparring. I remember me and a recon scout...we'd been at each other's throats for a while. Decided to settle it in the ring." He chuckled at the memory.  
  
She threw another crate, obviously testing him. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. "I assume you took her down gently."  
  
He scoffed. "No. Actually we were the top hand to hand specialists on the ship." He peaked out and found her easily. "After nine rounds, judges called it a tie. I had reach, but she had flexibility. There were a lot of unhappy betters in the room." He poised to make the shot. "We...uh...held a tiebreaker in her quarters. I had reach, but she had flexibility. More than one way to work off stress I guess."  
  
"You saying fucking you would've been a better way to relieve the tension?" she asked, putting stress on the word fucking.  
  
"No. No. Not at all. I was...ah, fuck it. Sure, Rylee. Sex would've been just as good. If not better," he said, readjusting. She'd moved a little since he'd first aimed.  
  
"I'll take your offer into consideration," she answered coolly.  
  
"It wasn't an offer."  
  
"So, you're saying you don't want to have sex with me?" she asked, sounding a little hurt.  
  
"No," he began, taking the shot and laughing as her beautiful body went flying back. "I never said anything of the sort. I was just letting you know it wasn't an offer. But if you want to accept it as such &#133;there are a lot of people who'd like to see it."  
She erupted with laughter, forcing herself upright and finding a new hiding place. "Really?" she asked, trying to control her laughter.  
  
"Weren't you paying attention? Jack thinks that's the only possible outcome." He carefully found another crate to use as cover.  
  
"Well, currently it's not. I'm going to be pretty badly bruised for a while. Thanks to you."  
  
"I'm pretty sure you broke something, Ry."  
  
"A rib?"  
  
He thought about it. "Probably."  
  
"Well, I'm not going to apologize."  
  
"And I'm not going to apologize for your bruises."  
  
He watched her move from cover, moving for the center of the room. He followed her with the scope. "What're you doing?" She stopped suddenly, closer to him than she'd been since they left the elevator, but exposed.  
  
_Bam!_

  
He took the shot. She practically gave it to him. Her body didn't go very far this time, but as it hit the crate just a few feet behind her and she simply laid there, he knew something was wrong.  
  
He launched himself over his cover, waded through the mess of crates, and slid to her side. "Rylee, you okay?"  
  
No response.  
  
He leaned closer. "Ry," he whispered, pressing his head against her chest, trying to hear her heartbeat through her armor.  
  
He suddenly went rigid, right at the pressure valve of his helmet--the universal weak point--was her sub-machine gun. "You're better than I give you credit for."  
  
She shrugged, slowly moving to sit up and pin him face-first on the floor. "I'm no good at close quarters, and against you I'm no good as a sniper. But you've got one serious weakness on the battlefield."  
  
"The pressure valve?" he asked, carefully laying on the floor. If she shot him, it wouldn't kill him. It probably wouldn't even severely injure him. But it would hurt almost as much as getting hit with the rocket.  
  
She shook her head, swinging her leg over him, straddling him. "No." She leaned down closer. " _Me_."  
  
_She saw right through you. Just admit it, Vakarian. That's all she wants. Admit it._  
  
"What do you want me to say, Rylee? That I should've just let you die out there? That caring about you is a weakness? Maybe you want me to tell you that I shouldn't try to keep you alive."  
  
_You just love to poke the hornets nest, don't you?_  
  
She took the sub-machine gun and smacked him over the head with it. "No! None of that's what I wanted you to say!" She sat up straight. "I wanted you to admit that you nearly got yourself killed not just to protect me and Miranda, but because you care so much about me that you couldn't stand to lose me! God, Garrus, why do you always have to be such a dick about these kinds of things?!"  
  
_Told you._  
  
Garrus laid still for a while, processing. What was he supposed to say to that?  
  
_I really, really care about you, and I did try to get myself killed so I didn't lose you._  
  
"Look, Rylee, I'm sorry."  
  
"For?" she asked, her voice accusing.  
  
He sighed. Here goes nothing. "For being too proud to admit to you that I can't stand to lose you."  
  
The sub-machine gun slid across the floor, followed by her breather helmet, and then she went for his and it joined the pile. She rolled off him so they lay face to face. "That's all I wanted you to say, Garrus. But we had a deal."  
  
He instinctively reached for her hair and began to stroke it. "I know. But I'm still alive, aren't I?"  
  
She leaned into his hand. "Yeah. And pretty injured."  
  
"Nothing I can't handle."  
  
"I'm still not going to apologize, though."  
  
He let out a little laugh. "Good. Because neither am I."

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt my tumblr thelilybird.tumblr.com!


End file.
